RIPPLE converts ammonia carriers to burn their own cargo

Maersk Tankers' RIPPLE project has been selected by the EU Innovation Fund to convert four very large ammonia carriers, VLACs, with dual-fuel engines able to burn their own cargo. According to Marine Insight, the goal is to avoid more than 1.2 million t of CO2e over ten years.

In press release IP/26/2187, the European Commission announced 77 projects with €3.4 billion under the fund's second call. Selection is not yet an award: promoters are preparing grant agreements with CINEA, and final results come in the first quarter of 2027.

The grant, of undisclosed value, lowers the cost of the first four ships. Extending conversion to the ten VLACs ordered from HD Hyundai Samho, two delivered in 2026, depends on commercial commitments from customers, according to the company.

The European fund finances the first step. What takes it from four to ten conversions is lower-emission freight contracts, and that is where demand for low-carbon ammonia starts to be measured in ships.